Catch Me If You Can
by SAVINGN00BS
Summary: La Volpe knows anything and everything about the city and its people but a mysterious person enters his life giving him the challenge he's been waiting for all his life. Rated M for future chapters. La Volpe & OC.
1. The Eyes of a Beast

_**Author Notes:** I've written this during Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood but only a few things such as missions are taken from the actual gameplay. Obviously I don't own Assassin's Creed but there are my own characters in the story. This is my first attempt writing a story based on Assassin's Creed so my knowledge might be limited but I hope you enjoy :)_

_**Chapter One.**_

La Volpe was no ordinary man, everyone knew this, and when sitting himself down in a darkened corner within the guild of thieves his followers surrounded him, their eyes wide and their mouths slack. A stack of cards were in the centre of the table so, with speed, one thief set them out for the five people that surrounded this particular table.  
"What news do you have?" La Volpe questioned, his renowned purple eyes glinting in the candle light as he picked up his cards, shiftily looking around the fake pub they had created. The thief who had dealt the cards spoke of his knowledge, his voice hushed making the others lean forward to hear his words. La Volpe remained slouched back in his chair, lazily looking at his cards before letting a secretive smile play on his thin lips. He listened to the news the thief gave him but another thief beside him kept shifting in his seat with discomfort, paying no attention to his cards which still remained on the table.  
"What bothers you?" La Volpe spoke, his tone low as he addressed the fidgeting thief once the other had finished. The fidgeting thief glanced to the right, his eyes lingering in a darkened corner a little too long before looking back at the Master of Thieves.  
"I fear that we are being watched, that figure within the shadows has been coming here every day for the past two weeks" the fidgeting thief said, sparing another glance at the darkened corner. La Volpe clicked his tongue, distrust evidently showing across his mid-aged features.  
"Do any of you know who it is?" La Volpe lowly asked, his eyes lingering in the corner for a second but he saw nothing more than a black figure.  
"No" three of his men chimed but one, the one who dealt the cards earlier, kept silent. La Volpe was not slow so he didn't fail to miss this.  
"There have been rumours going around…" the thief who dealt the cards murmured under his breath, setting down a card to begin the game. La Volpe simply raised an eyebrow, suggesting to him that he should continue.  
"They say that the figure is nimble and young, roughly in their twenties. It has been told that they can make a grown man cry…" the thief slowly said making the others snicker in amusement. La Volpe kept silent, not appreciating their dirty minds. The thief who had stopped speaking sighed, leaning even more forward.  
"The rumours also say that they are an assassin, working for no one besides themself. Some say that the person works in secrecy for the Order" he continued on and La Volpe stirred, leaning forward.  
"They do not… what is their gender?" he told his men, his eyes dangerously looking into the shadowy corner. The Master Thief seemed frozen for a moment, blinking several times in surprise; dim yellow orbs for eyes seemed to float in the corner, silently watching him. The eyes seemed somewhat amused, as if they had heard the entire conversation, but as sudden as they were there they had disappeared again. The fidgeting thief, who had also looked at the same time as La Volpe, shivered in discomfort.  
"No one knows" the fidgeting thief said.  
"What time do they usually leave here?" La Volpe asked.  
"Before midnight" the fidgeting thief spoke. La Volpe leaned back in his chair, throwing down a card.  
"Have you tried following?" he asked the other four and La Volpe saw another shiver crawl down the fidgeting thief's back, the hairs on his arm going on end.

"We have tried" the thief who had dealt the cards said, a frown playing on his face. The other two thieves, who had not spoken, cringed in their seats as a distant memory haunted them. Once again La Volpe was quick to notice the reaction; he knew each of these men as if they were his own family.  
"Continue" La Volpe requested after a moments silence. The men of thieves kept silent, none having the courage to speak.  
"I was the first to try and follow" piped up the fidgeting thief.  
"I kept as silent as I could, hiding in piles of straw and the shadows… The person is not foolish though, they knew I was following. I thought I had lost the figure and, thinking how an assassin would work, I checked down a nearby well to see if they were hiding from me. Before I knew it I was falling, someone had pushed me down the well. I looked up and saw dim yellow eyes, the eyes of a beast… They called out 'Do not follow me', the voice echoed in the well so I didn't know if the voice belonged to a male or female" the fidgeting thief spoke, rubbing his arms as if he was cold.  
"I thought I would be stuck there for days when the beast's eyes disappeared but I was hit on the head with something, a rope. I wasted no time, I climbed the rope but when I reached the top the streets were silent, no soul was around" the fidgeting thief explained.  
"The 'beast', as Pablo likes to call it, has done similar things to us all when attempting to follow. The beast never tried to harm us but we were all stopped one way or another. We tried following alone or in groups, we tried distracting the beast, approaching the beast, stalking the beast but we never get anywhere" the thief who had dealt the cards spoke, looking over at Pablo the fidgeting thief. La Volpe crunched his darkened brows in confusion.  
"They spy on us yet mean us no harm… interesting" La Volpe murmured, scratching his chin as he glanced back in the corner. Two dim yellow eyes were watching him again, a questioning sparkle in their eye. A barmaid approached the stranger and the dim yellow eyes moved for a second, nodding before handing them some money. The barmaid went on their way again.  
"Does the barmaid know anything?" La Volpe questioned his men, tilting his head in the direction of the bar. The men shook their heads, making way to stand up to return to their patrols. La Volpe nodded, standing up with them as their unfinished card game at come to an end.  
"Return to your posts, I'll follow this person you speak of" La Volpe spoke and his men nodded, leaving the pub straight away. La Volpe approached the bar, feeling those dim yellow eyes watching him, and he lowly spoke to the barmaid to try and find any kind of information.

Hours passed and La Volpe was growing impatient, he had asked nearly everyone in the pub about this mysterious person but no one knew anything, not even their gender. Several times La Volpe had felt their eyes watching him, the feeling calculating and amused. La Volpe had to restrain himself several times in order to stop himself glaring back in annoyance. He knew it was nearing to midnight and the figure was finishing their drink, making way to stand. The figure swiftly moved in between the drunken men and, as La Volpe paid close attention to their movements he could see the figure stealing money from guards who were concentrating hard on bets with other people. As the figure reached the door they paused, turning back to look at La Volpe in the eye. Within the candle lit pub La Volpe still couldn't see more than their eyes, their entire figure covered in black clothing which seemed too big for them. The dim yellow eyes winked at him, a playful gesture, before turning and leaving through the doors. La Volpe waited several moments before trailing after the stranger, using all the techniques he had learnt over the years.

La Volpe was no fool; he knew that the 'beast' knew he was hot on their tail. The beast calmly walked from alley to alley, not even bothering to glance back in paranoia at the thought of being followed. La Volpe was careful though; even though he knew that the figure wouldn't look back to see where he was he kept darting to any available hiding spots. La Volpe, while pausing for a moment in the shadows, checked his weapons were still where he left him and he secretly smiled, glad he had bothered keeping them on him. The pair kept like this for at least twenty minutes and the beast paused in their step, glancing around and looking directly at the Master Thief. The beast eyes, although still playful, had a hint of annoyance in them.  
"Did you pay no heed to what your men said?" a muffle voice spoke into the silence of the night and La Volpe stepped out of his hiding place, his body proudly standing beneath the moonlight.  
"Do not follow" the voice commanded, turning to enter a tunnel. La Volpe couldn't tell if the flat voice was male or female but he wasn't afraid, he knew that there was a dead end at the end of this tunnel, they had no way of escaping. He approached the entrance of the tunnel, a whoosh of air passing by him making a shiver trail down his back.  
"Come and face me like a man, you cannot hide in there forever" La Volpe called out but, even when straining his eyes, he couldn't see in the black depths of the tunnel. He didn't bother using his Eagle Vision, he had tried that in the pub to see if she was friend or foe but, for some reason, his senses would not pick up the stranger. A low whistle was heard from behind him and he sharply turned, baffled that the figure now stood several feet behind him. Their yellow eyes had somewhat turned bright, amusement clearly dancing in them. A loud clatter of metal was heard and La Volpe, thinking the stranger was to attack, went to grab his butcher knives but did not find them there. He quickly went to grab his crossbow but his body tensed, realising that the crossbow was missing as well. La Volpe had checked his weapons, they were all there only moments before…  
"Missing something?" the stranger's muffled voice mocked and, when looking at them, La Volpe could see the gleaming butcher knives in their hands.  
"What do you want from us beast?" La Volpe called out, his patience lost. He was not angry at the length of the chase nor was he angry that he was defenceless; it was more the fact that the beast had taken his weapons without him knowing.  
"Beast?" the muffled voice responded, their voice a tone higher in amusement.  
"Well, I have never heard that before" the voice continued.  
"Why not fight me like a man?" La Volpe boldly stated; he could easily take down the five foot four figure, even without his weapons.  
"Like a man? I'm sorry to disappoint you fox" the muffle voice spoke and, with a swift movement of their hand they removed the cloth masking most of their face. La Volpe didn't need his sharp eyes to tell him that this person was a woman; even with the hood still raised he could see the soft, rosy cheeks and the playful, cherry lips smiling. La Volpe narrowed his eyes.  
"What do you want from us?" he re-asked his question from moments before and the young female smiled.  
"From you, nothing… from the guards, everything" the woman told him, turning to leave.  
"Who are you?" he called after her.

"La Lupa" she called back after him, a quiet clank of weapons in front of his feet making him jump. He looked down, confused but relieved that she had returned his weapons but then his cheeks burned in embarrassment, the she-wolf (as she called herself) had also cut his belt and pulled his trousers down without him knowing. La Volpe hurriedly pulled them up before looking ahead but the she-wolf was nowhere in sight. The man collected his weapons before turning to head back to the guild, deciding to let her get away this time. As he walked back he couldn't help but glare at passing people as they pointed and snickered at him holding his broken trousers up…


	2. The Chase

_**Chapter Two.**_

The next day had arrived and La Volpe was watching Ezio pace back and forward in the Tiber Island hideout. La Volpe remained leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, as he described La Lupa to him.  
"My recruits have seen her as well, especially when they're intercepting letters from the guards" Ezio confessed to the Master Thief in confidence.  
"What does she do?" La Volpe asked.  
"According to Damon, my veteran recruit, she just sits there and watches. After his sixth mission he went to assassinate her, believing she was a spy for the Templars, man he regretted trying…" Ezio said, stopping his pacing as he laughed to himself.  
"He found himself without weapons when leaping from a building onto the ground to sneak up on her and assassinate her. He said that she hid herself in the shadows and he followed before she got him from behind" Ezio continued, snickering.  
"What do you mean?" La Volpe asked, concern and worry in his voice.  
"She gave him 'the meanest wedgie he could ever imagine'" Ezio said in amusement, another laugh escaping his lips as he quoted the veteran's words. La Volpe couldn't hide his grin,  
"I suppose that is why he walked funny for a few weeks" La Volpe noted as he remembered the poor 30 year old veteran recruit shiftily waddling around as if a pole was stuck up his rear end. Ezio nodded with a smile but it soon disappeared.  
"Although funny she still poses a threat, she managed to disarm him without him realising" Ezio murmured and La Volpe hummed in agreement.  
"Yes… she is rather good with her hands" La Volpe spoke aloud and Ezio raised an eyebrow.  
"You speak from experience?" he half questioned, half noted and the Master Thief blushed, the reaction noticed by Ezio.  
"She managed to pass by me, steal my weapons and slash my belt without me knowing" the thief confessed and Ezio bit his tongue, trying not to laugh.  
"She managed to best you at your own game" Ezio couldn't help but let slip and La Volpe glared, the embarrassment still painful. Ezio grinned and his form relaxed down.  
"Maybe she just wants information from the guards; they do go to the pub quite a lot" Ezio tried reasoning.  
"Or trying to be a pain in the ass and distract us" La Volpe mumbled but Ezio laughed, walking over to him and patting him on the shoulder.  
"She has not interrupted any of my missions nor has she bothered your men until they tried following her" Ezio told him.  
"Then what business is it of hers to seek information from the guards and Templars?" La Volpe asked him but Ezio shrugged.  
"It is told that she works for no one besides herself" Ezio said and La Volpe nodded, remembering his thieves saying that the night before.  
"Maybe she is to sell the information or rebel" Ezio continued on, his voice trailing off in thought. He rubbed his chin as he walked over to an armchair, sitting himself down by the fire. La Volpe wasn't sure but, to save an argument, he nodded.  
"I can only suggest keeping an eye on her if you are still troubled, though that may prove to be a challenge" Ezio recommended and La Volpe glared at his friend; she was no challenge.

La Volpe found himself back in the pub that night, settled in his own corner as he watched the woman with the dim yellow eyes. She appeared much like she did before, silently observing her surroundings. Now and again she would blend into the shadows so much that La Volpe had to blink several times before he found those strange eyes of hers again. Now and again she would flicker those eyes onto his slim but strong form, her eyes looking deep into his own, searching for his soul. At times like this La Volpe felt vulnerable, he felt naked and unprotected as she openly looked deep within him, something no one else had ever been able to do. La Volpe had to break his gaze several times because of this; he was a man that did not trust easily and he didn't share things easily, especially his own private thoughts. Throughout the night groups of thieves surrounded his table, giving him information about their jobs and he quietly discussed matters to them, giving them new things to do and new people to seek out. As soon as each group would leave his attention would be fully fixed on the mysterious woman again, his purple eyes analysing her although he could not discover much about her. La Lupa, at this point in time, had her attention fully fixed on a completely drunk man that merrily spoke to himself, his hand gripping a bottle of whisky as if it meant the world to him. La Volpe noticed the amusement in her eyes had disappeared, a distant look in them as she continued watching the man. At one point La Volpe could see the woman frown before masking her emotions and picking up her pint of beer, taking a sip out of it before settling it down again. She leant her form forward, obviously listening in to his blabbing, and her eyes lit up and she stood from her chair, leaving the pub without a second look. La Volpe, not expecting the female to leave for at least another hour, found himself quickly scurrying after her – he would not let her get away this time.

Instead of her walking like the night before she was at a run, pulling clothes off as she went. La Volpe jumped into a run, watching the baggy clothes fly as she revealed a more tightly fitted pair of trousers and a shirt that looked slightly out of shape, as if armour was hidden beneath it. She still remained hooded though and her cape bellowed out behind her as she nimbly jumped on nearby boxes and poles, reaching the top of the building. She spared a glance at La Volpe as he gracefully kept up with her, now on top of the building with her. La Volpe knew the area off by heart but he surprisingly found her fast moving along the buildings as she jumped from one to another. La Lupa pulled off another piece of clothing, her scarf La Volpe assumed, and she threw it back into his face making him stumble. A loud but soft twinkle of a laugh was heard from the running woman and La Volpe growled, picking up the pace in an attempt to catch up and tackle her. Instead of gaining on her the distance between them seemed to get bigger and bigger making La Volpe growl again in frustration. La Volpe could feel his heartbeat get faster and faster, the once steady and calm pace was now in a mess as it painfully crashed against his ribcage. Despite the situation La Volpe couldn't help but let a smile play on his lips; he hadn't had a chase like this in years and, truthfully, it excited him to no end. Up ahead he noticed La Lupa pull out two daggers, jumping into the air and onto the next building, her landing cushioned by a guard that she killed. She glanced up at La Volpe, her smiling lips visible as she took off into a run again. La Volpe insured that he didn't trip over the body as he leapt onto the building but he kicked it backwards, the body toppling off the edge and into the darkened, empty alleyway below. Another laugh left La Lupa's lips and she pushed herself forward, now about two buildings ahead of the Master Thief. La Volpe knew that there was a river ahead and she would have to change direction to avoid it or to head to the bridge. A grin appeared on his face when he saw her land on the final building, trying to stop her fast gait to avoid falling but, no matter how hard she tried she toppled out of La Volpe's sight. The thief grinned, a light chuckle escaping his lips as he landed on that particular building, running straight for the plank that birds usually rested upon. He wasted no time in leaping off it, his form a sight to be seen as he dived into the cold water of the night. The water felt refreshing against his sweaty body and he pushed himself to the surface of the water, imagining to see a drenched woman standing before him on the banks covered in seaweed. He found no such sight and he desperately looked around for her, wondering if she couldn't swim or something. His hood had fallen back revealing his tied back long, dark hair. A loud whistle was heard and La Volpe looked around, another whistle heard when he couldn't find the source of it. He look up at the building he had just jumped off, his face falling as he saw the woman crouched on the bird perch he had jumped off moments before. She was bone dry indicating that she had fooled him and, in the heat of the moment, La Volpe had fallen for it. He inwardly groaned as his cheeks reddened in embarrassment and a loud twinkling laugh was heard.

"You should give up Master Thief" she loudly called down at him, pushing herself to stand up. La Volpe couldn't think of a reply so the woman laughed again, turning to leave the man in the water. La Volpe couldn't believe it; she had fooled him for the second night in a row. So, as he clambered out of the river and headed back to the guild, he found himself being pointed at with snickers echoing behind him…


	3. A Word of Warning

**Chapter Three.**

The next day La Volpe found himself in an extremely foul mood, the events of last night and the night before had somehow reached everyone's ears within the Order, included a very cocky Niccolò who loudly voice his snide comments.  
"Will you give it a break" Ezio scowled at the man, giving him a dirty look as he tried defending the thief. Niccolò went to part his lips to speak but Damon stood,  
"You wait until it happens to you! You'll weep like a baby" he shouted sending everyone into silence at his outburst. Damon shiftily rubbed his backside as the reminder of his and La Lupa's encounter came to mind before gently sitting himself back down. Ezio rubbed the back of his head awkwardly before clapping his hands together, gaining everyone's attention.

"I have some good news!" Ezio told everyone and Niccolò scoffed.  
"Please, share with us, I can't take the glum look on the thief's face any longer" he snidely said and La Volpe openly glared at him. Ezio clicked his tongue in disappointment before straightening himself up.  
"While returning here a few hours before I found an old friend of mine, Leonardo" Ezio began and the crowd hummed, knowing who this man was.  
"He told me of these 'war machines' that need destroying. Anyway, his 'main source of information' found the guards I need to track down to find one of the machine's location" Ezio told them, rubbing his chin in thought.  
"That is good news… will that be our next assignment?" Damon asked but Ezio shook his head.  
"No, I will be taking care of them myself. I need you to do other things for me" Ezio told him, pulling out a scroll. The four recruits, including Damon, crowded around the assassin to claim their job. Once gaining their assigned job they left the area, preparing for their long journeys.  
"Niccolò, while I'm away I need you to keep the Order running accordingly. La Volpe, I need you to place some of your thieves by the Rosa in Fiore, there has been word that the number of guards have increased there and are troubling business" Ezio asked and the pair nodded although La Volpe was confused.  
"The mercenaries are needed with Bartolomeo d'Alviano at the moment" Ezio explained and La Volpe nodded, now understanding his reasons.  
"I will need your help tonight though to get through the gates unnoticed" Ezio added.  
"Very well, I will be on my way" La Volpe told him and he left, his boots squeaking as droplets of water appeared on the tiles. Ezio didn't dare inform this to Niccolò in case the thief decided to take his foul mood out on him.

La Volpe had informed most of the thieves about their new posts and most were glad for the change of scenery, especially the ones who could sneak a peak in the windows. His final stop was at the pub and, when entering, he got straight to business with a group of thieves. He could feel eyes on him and he knew, once again, that they belonged to La Lupa but he had no time for games today, he was a busy man.  
"The beast is watching us again" Pablo whispered and La Volpe sighed.  
"La Lupa" he told him and the man frowned, as did the other seven.  
"Her name is La Lupa" he explained and Pablo exclaimed.  
"She's a girl!" he squeaked and a twinkle of a laugh could be heard right behind them. All of them looked around coming face to face with the dim yellow eyes of the black figure. She lowered her scarf, a smile playing on her lips.  
"Indeed" she mockingly said, poor Pablo nearly fainting right there. The woman frowned at the reaction.  
"I do apologise for the well incident Pablo" she gently said and Pablo gaped.  
"Fox, a word outside" she ordered and La Volpe was surprised at the request but he accepted, following her out of the bar. She roughly pulled the thief into the shadows of the aging evening.

La Volpe tensed, warning bells ringing in his ears at the sudden harsh movement.  
"Tell the assassino that he must not be detected, if he is then war will break out" she told him and the thief stiffened.  
"How do you kn-?" he tried to ask but the woman sternly looked up at him.  
"I know more than you can imagine, Gilberto, so give the assassino my words of warning and this" the woman interrupted, shoving a large pouch into his hands as she released him from her grip. La Lupa shifted from in front of him and quickly went into a run towards the buildings, leaping onto them with grace. Her black form was noticeable against the oranges and reds as the sky began to set in the distance. La Volpe, in his daze, gazed down to see what the woman had given him and his mouth fell open – she had handed him a large, homemade pouch which had at least 20 veils for healing. La Volpe shook his head, he would hand this to the assassin when they met tonight. One thing bothered him though; how did she know his name and how did she know of the approaching mission…?

It wasn't long before La Volpe met up with Ezio, handing over La Lupa's words of warning and the large pouch. La Volpe had already explained what had happened and Ezio found himself gripping onto the pouch.  
"How does she know?" Ezio questioned the Master Thief but he shrugged, truthfully he was as clueless as the assassin standing in front of him. Ezio shook his head.  
"I was only told this morning about the machines and the guards to find, there must be something she is hiding, something that makes her connected to everything…" Ezio told the thief in a hushed tone and the thief nodded in agreement.  
"She must be on our side though with the words of warning and a helping hand" La Volpe told him, hoping that his words would give comfort to Ezio and also himself. The assassin looked the thief in the eye, a smile coming to his lips.  
"Are you suggesting that you might trust this woman, a stranger?" Ezio questioned the man in fake surprise but, with a lack of response, Ezio really did look surprised.  
"I don't know… but I will keep my eye on her" La Volpe mumbled and Ezio hummed.  
"I will report back to the hideout before setting off to destroy this 'war machine' they speak of. Do you think Damon is ready to retrieve the hidden letters in the Borgia Tower alone?" Ezio asked the thief and La Volpe rubbed his chin.  
"The one north of here?" La Volpe asked and Ezio nodded. La Volpe knew the one he spoke of, it was an extremely hard restricted area to get in let alone steal from.  
"I think he is ready but alone, I am not too sure" La Volpe honestly said.  
"I need the information when I return, then we will be able to plan our next move now that the traitor is gone" Ezio said, referring to the traitor that had disguised himself as a thief in order to give information to the Templars.  
"Can't you spare another to join him, as a distraction?" La Volpe asked but Ezio shook his head.  
"They have their own missions to do, I cannot afford to spare one" Ezio said, a hint of desperation tinted in his voice.  
"I can accompany him if you want" La Volpe suggested but Ezio shook his head.  
"No, I would rather you follow La Lupa and try getting her to speak what her intentions are of watching us so closely" Ezio said and La Volpe nodded; she was still considered a threat in receiving their information – they still didn't know why she took it.  
"Now, let's get me out of this place without being seen."


	4. Sworn to Secrecy

_**Chapter Four.**_

La Volpe found himself wondering around the streets of Timber Island, collecting much needed supplies such as healing veils and crossbow bolts; he even got his armour repaired by the local blacksmiths.  
"Wonderful day isn't it" a feminine voice stated from beside him and he gasped as his eyes fell into bright yellow eyes. He took in her appearance, admiring her long, raven hair that was set in curls and her creamy skin that had a glow to it. Instead of her usual black clothing she wore a soft blue and white dress, her feet unseen from the length of it.  
"What, never seen a woman in a dress?" La Lupa teased, turning away from the gaping man to look at the blacksmith owner.  
"What can I do for you bella donna?" the owner asked, his thick Italian accent soothing as he gave her a flirty grin.  
"The usual" she sharply told him, un-amused at his attempt to flirt. The owner laughed,  
"She never gives in" he said aloud to La Volpe who watched, giving a wink to La Lupa before running off to collect her items. La Lupa growled in annoyance.  
"Such a pig" she murmured and La Volpe couldn't help but smirk.  
"So…" La Volpe trailed, starting a conversation with the mysterious woman.  
"Care to explain last night?" he asked and a snort was heard from the owner as he ears dropped. La Lupa turned to look at the thief, an eyebrow raised.  
"No, not really" she bluntly said, taking the items that the blacksmith owner handed over to her, making sure not to touch the red rose.  
"Aw come on, you know you want me" the owner grinned and La Lupa scrunched her nose.  
"Dream on kid" she bit back, throwing him the bag of money as she turned to leave.  
"Feisty that one, I like" the blacksmith owner smoothly said aloud, slicking his hair back in a suggestive manner. La Volpe shot the man a dirty look before chasing after the woman, walking alongside her.

"Who do you work for?" he murmured to her and she cracked him a playful smile, pocketing her new throwing knives and sharpened daggers.  
"Who said I worked for someone?" she answered back with a question, her eyes glittering as the thief furrowed his brows but he could tell she was hiding something.  
"It is clear that we both work on the same side" he lowly told her as they passed a group of people, his tone low to avoid anyone picking up his words. The woman laughed, as if relieved. La Volpe spared her a glance, wondering if she thought that he had found out the truth behind his question.  
"What makes you believe that?" she once again replied with a question, her lips quirking up as La Volpe scowled.  
"You have helped us" he plainly told her.  
"Yet I could still be a spy, earning your trust to stab you in the back" she quickly told him and the thief opened his mouth, finding no words to reply. The woman laughed again, her smile growing.  
"Why do you dance around my questions?" he asked her and La Lupa paused, inspecting a stall before moving off. She handed the thief an apple, munching on her own. La Volpe shook his head; he had been expecting her to do that.  
"Why do you ask me questions?" she asked him and La Volpe went to glare at the woman but instead of a teasing smirk on her face her smile was gone, a questioning look on her face.

"Things don't add up" he murmured to himself and a smile was back on her face at his honesty.  
"Am I too much of a challenge for you?" she playfully said with a wink and La Volpe bit his tongue to loudly deny and challenge the woman.  
"We are more similar than you think fox" she went on, changing the subject at his held back comment.  
"How do you know?" La Volpe defensively said, a look of distrust passing his features. La Lupa ignored the defensive behaviour with a laugh.  
"We do not trust easily, we do not fight until cornered… We defend our family and are loyal to the ones that mean the world to us" she replied. La Volpe spared her a look, slightly taken by her words. That described him a lot; he did have trust issues and even Ezio complained about that quite often, he also didn't fight as he enjoyed sneaking around much more. He was more than loyal to the ones he loved, endangering his own life at times to protect them. One thing was wrong though.  
"I have no family to defend, my parents have passed away and I have no brothers, sisters, daughters or sons. I know not my relatives" he told her and La Lupa stopped, turning to look up at him.  
"Who said that your family had to be in blood? What of the thieves, surely they mean something to you?" La Lupa softly spoke and La Volpe was stunned; he loved the thieves as if they were his own sons…  
"So you do have family to defend" she continued, a smile on her lips as she turned to continue walking. The thief scurried after her again.  
"What point are you trying to make?" La Volpe questioned her and La Lupa shrugged.  
"Maybe if you asked the questions to yourself then you might get the answers you need" she told him, turning to go down an empty alleyway. La Volpe continued walking by her side, thinking of questions to ask himself.

'Why couldn't she answer them herself?' he thought to himself after five minutes of silence. La Volpe thought about himself; why wouldn't he tell the wolf something of importance? Was it the lack of trust? He took a chance to glance at La Lupa and she looked at ease, a smile on her face as she walked, a slight swing to her hips.  
'Not distrust' he answered himself, shaking his head. Surely if the woman didn't trust him then she wouldn't try helping him understand or she wouldn't have given the assassin advice. Why else wouldn't he say something to her, something of importance…? Was she afraid of being found out? Did she fear about La Volpe tailing her? Did she fear her 'boss' being revealed…?

"You're bound not to say anything" he mumbled to himself after a few minutes, the thought clicking into his head. He glanced at the woman as she smiled, nodding.  
"Sworn to secrecy" she confirmed, turning to the right to go back onto a busier alleyway. La Volpe now knew that she must work for someone otherwise she wouldn't be sworn to secrecy… the question was who did she work for? She didn't work for the Templars, that much was certain, and she didn't work for the thieves or the assassins… she couldn't work for the other members of the Order otherwise they would have said so; everything was shared among the Order… who did that leave?  
"You think too much fox" she told him, removing him from his thoughts. La Volpe shook his head.  
"Come and join me for the day, you may learn a thing or two" La Lupa invited and La Volpe accepted, glad that he was given the chance of watching over her without all the sneaking and hiding – he couldn't face another embarrassing moment.

The day smoothly went by; the pair had wandered around Tiber Island, visiting different shops, before venturing up north. Now and again men would look at the pair, some winking towards the woman and some darting out of the way.  
"It is funny how some people can know very little of what is happening, especially under their very noses" La Lupa had stated, changing their previous topic about favourite colours and locations. La Volpe hummed in agreement, pickpocketing passing people without a care in the world.  
"You do realise you are not getting any richer" she added, looking across at him. La Volpe raised an eyebrow and felt for his pouch where he stored his stolen money, finding it missing. La Lupa held up a pouch in front of him, shaking it to confirm that it was indeed his. A low playful growl escaped La Volpe's lips as he took back what was his.

If a thief had noticed that the woman was constantly stealing off him then they would comment that the thief was slacking, getting too old for the job, but that wasn't the true answer. Anyone and everyone knew of his reputation and by one look into someone's eye they would know that he was La Volpe, the Master of Thieves. Truthfully he knew most of the thieves and they knew him, he was their mentor after all, and although the Templars knew not of his identity they still kept clear of the mysterious man. The reason why he didn't see this happening to him was simple; no one had ever dared to, not even the assassins', so it surprised him every single time that La Lupa, an innocent enough looking woman, would and could take his items without his knowledge. He was extremely trained, don't get him wrong, and he could see a move coming even if it was to happen minutes later but she was different; she was self-taught so her moves were unexpected, different, and sometimes sloppy but nether less, she was silent and smooth.

Despite this had somewhat softened up to this stranger over the past four hours, she wasn't as playful and annoying as she put on to be and was actually a thoughtful, serious individual. Walking besides her made La Volpe feel different, as if they fitted perfectly together as a team and that he could trust her. La Volpe had caught on very quickly that she was an honest person, answering as much as she could as long as they didn't refer to her line of work. He avoided that topic, he didn't want her to push away with his constant bugging – he would have to be patient now.  
"How did you get so good at the art of thieving?" La Volpe asked the woman, hoping that she wouldn't mock him for just being useless.  
"It's something I've done for many years, I picked up things that work and don't work… I found that trickery and disguise are my strong points" she slowly said and La Volpe noticed a cringe appear, as if her job brought her pain or some kind of misery.  
"What about you? You are the Master of them after all" La Lupa asked, adding her opinion at the end making La Volpe hide his grin, the cringe forgotten.  
"Something I learnt from a youngster… training to be an assassin didn't give me much of a thrill but creeping around under their very noses excited me so I pushed myself in the art of thievery and also in the art of free running…" he openly explained, the woman smiling at how truthful he was to her.  
"How are you so fast though?" he added in question but the woman shrugged.  
"I was pushed to excel from a child to best the others; it was harder for me because I'm a female… It was something I trained every day, whenever possible" she freely said and La Volpe looked over at her, noticing a barrier of protection leaving her eyes but another cringe was noticed. He kept silent for a moment as they turned another corner, unsure of how to reply.

There was something about this woman that made La Volpe want to know more about her; he would uncover one thing yet a comment or reaction would want him to dig down further. The cringes had his mind thinking overtime at why she reacted that way; it was clear she enjoyed tormenting her targets and embarrassing them. He crunched his nose up in thought, glancing across at her. She had no weapons on her today besides the knives and daggers, thinking back he had only seen her take out two daggers when she killed a guard during their chase.

"Why don't you carry many weapons with you?" La Volpe couldn't help but ask and it sent La Lupa to a halt, her frame frozen and stiff. The thief watched as the woman instantly side-stepped away from him, her face unreadable. At her reaction La Volpe knew that he shouldn't have asked that question and he expected the woman to run, embarrassing him in defence if he went to follow.  
"Sorry" La Volpe murmured and the woman stirred, as if coming back to life. A dark shadow was looming over her features but she hid them with difficulty.  
"Do not be sorry" she emotionlessly told him, shaking her head to rid any thoughts playing on her mind. She cracked a forced smile at him and La Volpe relaxed, glad she wasn't running away from him. She walked on and La Volpe strode beside her, the moment between them passed but not forgotten.

La Lupa paused by a tailor, the owner busy talking to another customer.  
"Tell me fox, are you comfortable hiding among the Templars?" La Lupa asked in a soft, low tone and La Volpe had almost missed it but he nodded, unsure why she asked such a question. She smiled, waving over the owner as he said his goodbyes to his leaving customer.  
"Ah, what is it you need today my lady?" the owner asked. La Lupa leant forward, whispering something in his ear and the owner pulled away, a glint in his eye. He eyed up La Volpe before turning, scurrying away to speak with his co-workers.  
"You asked me earlier about where I spend most of my time during the day before visiting the pub, well, I cannot tell you but I'll show you" La Lupa whispered, her form edging closer to La Volpe's. A shiver trailed down La Volpe's back as her whispering words breathed on his neck; it wasn't from discomfort or fear, it was something entirely different yet he couldn't place his finger on it. La Lupa had shifted away from him to retrieve her items from the tailor owner. La Volpe couldn't shake the feeling of longing settling into his stomach, the need to have her closer… He erased those thoughts when La Lupa handed him a bundle of new clothing.  
"Let's go."


	5. The Liparota

**Chapter Five.**

La Volpe found himself looking down at his clothing in disgust; instead of his usual brown, yellow and green gear he was forced to wear black clothing with purple lining.

"Do you have a thing for black?" La Volpe asked in annoyance as La Lupa joined him. She was clad in a long, elegant green ball gown.

"No, not really, it's just a good colour for you to blend in with" she honestly said, her playfulness gone.

"We must tread carefully here…" she warned him, latching onto a group who were all dressed up in robes, suits and gowns. La Volpe tensed as they walked, they were heading straight for the castle. La Lupa used her left arm to link arms with him, her right hand clutching on to a small case. As the pair approached the bridge towards the castle two guards halted them.

"Where is your invitation?" the taller of the two asked. La Lupa placed a fake smile on her lips, pulling out a pink piece of parchment. She handed it over.

"They said I could bring another to watch the show so I've brought my husband" La Lupa spoke. La Volpe was surprised at her change of attitude; it was now soft, delicate and very ladylike.

"Ah yes, very well. Have a pleasant evening Mr Liparota, I'm sure your wife will do splendid like always" the guard said, a bright smile on his face. La Volpe tilted his head in thanks while La Lupa curtseyed. The pair walked together across the bridge. Many people waved in La Lupa's direction and she waved back, her eyes glancing up at La Volpe who seemed uncomfortable.

"This is my main place for information; keep your ears and eyes open. Mingle or stay hidden… just be careful whichever one you choose" La Lupa softly said.

"Selena! Selena!" a voice called and La Lupa pulled La Volpe to a halt, watching as the slightly obese woman came running up to her, a much smaller case in her hand.

"Oh! Who is this handsome chap?" the woman boldly asked, her eyes looking over La Volpe lustfully.

"Good to see you Lucy – this is my husband Alessandro, my love, this is Lucy Meadow" La Lupa introduced and Lucy laughed, holding out her hand for a greeting. La Volpe accepting it, kissing her on the knuckles before releasing her, pulling La Lupa into a side-hug to make things look more realistic. He couldn't help but notice her body was firm, well-muscled, and that probably gave her the stockier look. Warmth radiated between them and it made his heart beat increase, the longing feeling settling back into his heart again.

"Selena has said a lot about you Alessandro, it is fantastic to finally meet you after all these years! She said you are busy, no?" Lucy began to blab and La Lupa faked a smile.

"Yes" La Volpe replied, unsure of what La Lupa has told them all.

"Well I must prepare, I'll see you in a minute!" Lucy exclaimed before running off. A sigh left La Lupa's lips, rolling her eyes at the retreating woman.

"Any more details I need to know?" La Volpe asked as La Lupa steered him into a large hall, hundreds of chairs set out facing towards a huge stage, many of them already filled.

"No, not really besides your line of work is a banker. You can improvise on the rest. Take a seat" La Lupa said, beckoning him to sit down so he did, frowning when La Lupa kept standing.

"I'll be back in twenty minutes, you'll see why in five minutes. Ears and eyes open" La Lupa whispered, giving the man a wink before running off, her case still in her hand. La Volpe frowned, why was she ditching him? Was this a trap? Was she going to get her information? He politely nodded to a man sitting next to him and was about to make conversation with him but a loud whistle was heard from the stage sending everyone into silence. A woman was the first to come onto stage, singing a song full of lust and violence as an orchestra played with her. Lucy was also on stage playing a wind instrument with several others but La Lupa was nowhere in sight. As they finished La Volpe lazily clapped, looking around to try and get sight of the wolf but, as the orchestra left the stage and other people collected their chairs a single woman stood out, a viol in hand.

La Volpe was amazed that it was La Lupa taking the centre of the stage, a bow in her left hand as the viol remained in her right. La Volpe was quick to notice that the viol was extremely different to common ones, there was a dip at the bottom of it and, as she prepared to begin playing, she placed the bottom of it in the crook of her neck. La Volpe frowned; he had never seen a viol played in that position before. La Lupa looked in his direction, giving him a soft smile as she placed the tip of her bow on the modified viol, closing her eyes as she began to play. The music was soft and slow, a romantic piece La Volpe assumed, and he watched as her hips gently swayed to the music. At times she plucked the strings to make notes different and La Volpe was certain that the man beside him was humming. La Volpe felt entranced, her music was going right to his soul; he couldn't lie, the piece was beautiful and peaceful, it put his mind at rest. She opened her eyes back up half way through, scanning them across the audience before setting them back onto La Volpe. Naturally he smiled; he forgot that she was a stranger, he forgot that he didn't know her true alliance, instead he felt a connection with her as he watched her bright, yellow eyes glitter. The song came to an end and everyone, including La Volpe, stood to clap. The woman bowed in gratitude before walking off stage, another figure coming on to talk.

"You are a lucky man" the man from beside him spoke as they sat and La Volpe glanced across.

"Pardon?" La Volpe politely asked and the man chuckled, his ginger moustache flapping.

"Your wife is a wonderful woman, her music is inspirational. It is a shame she never has time to join the orchestra" the man spoke, a genuine smile on his face. La Volpe forced a smile.

"Yes, I am extremely lucky" he tried to lie but, for some reason, the words felt easy to leave his mouth. The man chuckled again before standing, rubbing his large stomach as it growled.

"Ah I'm so glad they have kept the preforming short tonight, I'm famished!" the man exclaimed and he left La Volpe, his form pushing past overs as he headed over to the large buffet.

"That was Pietro Di Alberto, he works in the castle as the Head Chief" La Lupa said and La Volpe almost jumped from her unannounced arrival.

"Come, let us sit and dine with him, you wouldn't believe some of the gossip" La Lupa suggested, linking her arm in his as they trailed after him, grabbing a small plate of food before sitting themselves down on the same table as Pietro and Lucy.

Pietro and Lucy were the main two talking on the table of four, their conversation barely listened to as La Volpe and La Lupa flickered their gazes around, the woman nudging La Volpe several times to get him looking at the right crowd.

"How can you hear them from so far away?" La Volpe asked the woman. The thief wondered if the woman held some sort of strong hearing; when he searched for information he'd make sure he was close enough to hear.

"I don't, I simply lip read" she told him with a lopsided smile and La Volpe shook his head, his own smile appearing on his face. To be honest La Volpe thought this night would be a drag, Lucy's constant longing looks and gibberish speech made the man want to knock her out with a wooden spoon but La Lupa kept him distracted, pointing to certain people as she quietly whispered what they were saying. La Volpe was glad she was there besides him, he had actually found out some things that his men of thieves hadn't.

"So you spend most of your time here then?" he had asked her after two hours of socialising and the woman nodded.

"It gives me a heads up on who to follow and who to watch out for – apparently there are some stashed letters in the Borgia Tower nearby… I assume you already knew of that" La Lupa quietly said and La Volpe nodded, frowning.

"Yes… Ezio passed it by me" La Volpe told her.

"Ah good man that one, knew his uncle well" the woman said, a distant dreamy look on her face. La Volpe didn't bother asking her about how she knew his uncle; he had a gut feeling that she wouldn't explain.

"It is a shame he is gone" La Volpe lowly said and La Lupa's face soured, a dark look appearing on her face but she quickly recovered, nodding her head.

"If you'd excuse us, my friends, we're just going to get some fresh air" La Lupa announced to the table, the head chief and wind player nodding in acceptance as both 'husband and wife' stood, leaving the hall to walk outside. La Volpe kept silent as he walked alongside the wolf, wondering what she was up to now.

"Security is tight here" she told him as a group of guards marched passed them, not bothering to halt and question them. La Lupa pointed out guards on the walls,

"It is a hard place to breech, it is hard enough to approach the bridge" she quietly continued.

"What are you trying to say?" La Volpe asked, looking down at the woman as she sighed.

"I fear that what the assassino seeks is hidden near here. I do not believe it is in the castle itself but nearby…" she explained, a tinge of worry appearing in the woman's expression.

"How do you know what we seek?" La Volpe quickly asked but she shook her head, indicating she couldn't say. At this La Volpe felt something stir within; it wasn't the usual feeling of distrust, instead it was a feeling of wonder, mystery.

"You cannot succeed from the outside in" she slowly said, looking over to the main gates that led out to the large bridge that were filled with guards. They both paused in their step, a longing look on the wolf's face as she looked over at the walls that guarded the place.

"But from the inside out we might have a chance" La Volpe continued on for her, linking arms with the woman again. As he glanced down at her he could see a small tinge of red grace her cheeks.

"Come, let us leave this place" she suggested and the pair walked through the main gates and onto the bridge, pausing by the guard they had spoken to when first entering.

"Selena, what can I do for you?" the guard asked, a friendly look passing onto his face as he shushed away other nearby guards.

"Have you got any permanent passes for us? I did ask for them a week ago" La Lupa asked and he beamed, pulling two blue passes out before handing them to La Lupa and La Volpe.

"You can come here any time you want, free of charge, for a tour around the castle" the guard explained with his proud smile and La Lupa grinned.

"It will be lovely, thank you for getting them so soon" La Lupa replied, glancing up at La Volpe.

"You can thank your very good friend Leo, put in a good word to the King, quickened the process up a bit" the guard noted, his smile never fading.

"Oh?" La Lupa replied in fake surprise,

"Well I will have to thank him when I next see him" La Lupa added, nodding to the man in hopes to leave. Both she and La Volpe turned, making way to go.

"Oh Selena!" the guard called and she turned, pausing in her step.

"The King wishes to meet with you this coming Monday" the guard informed and La Volpe could feel the woman stiffen under his hold but she managed to keep her face bright and happy.

"Tell him that I look forward to it!"


	6. A Different kind of Gold

_**Chapter Six.**_

La Lupa kept extremely quiet as they wandered down alleyways, finally being alone. La Volpe removed his arm from hers, eyeing her up. He wondered what connection she had with the King; were they partners in something? Was she his secret lover? Was she a spy? But the reminder of her stiffening made his thoughts pause; it was evident that she was unsettled by the idea of meeting the King.

"I apologise Fox but I must be on my way. You can enter the castle grounds whenever you wish, it may give you a chance to view the scenery. Usually they'll allow you to be accompanied by one other but be warned, they may search you for weapons" La Lupa quietly said, turning to leave.

"What business do you have with the King?" La Volpe couldn't help but ask. La Lupa paused in her stride, turning her head to glance over her shoulder.

"Like I said you can enter the castle grounds as whenever you wish" she called back, adding a wink before waddling off out of sight. La Volpe shook his head; why couldn't she be a simple woman?

The moon was high in the darkened sky as La Volpe finally entered the Tiber Island Hideout, his usual clothing in his hands.

"New clothing thief, special occasion?" Niccolò's voice rang out from the corner of the room and La Volpe bit back his retort, dumping his clothing on the couch. Ezio was sat opposite the couch, a questioning look upon his features.

"Any news on the woman?" he tiredly asked, his voice drained from gathering information about his mission. La Volpe nodded, settling himself down on the couch where his clothes were.

"A lot actually… She is a trained thief, I know not who trained her but she has worked very hard perfecting the art…" La Volpe began, rubbing his hands together as Niccolò approached the pair, wanting to know the details.

"From what I gather she only wields two daggers" he continued on, thinking back to the times he had seen her.

"That is not uncommon among thieves" Ezio murmured, rubbing his shoulder and La Volpe noticed that he was injured but, obviously, the wound was already tended to.

"I did ask to why she didn't carry more weapons but her reaction was… odd…" he told him and Niccolò frowned.

"Does she have any wounds to indicate a bad experience with them?" Niccolò wisely asked and La Volpe shook his head.

"I do not think so, I have not seen a lot of her skin besides her arms" La Volpe confessed. He pulled out his pass, handing it to Ezio first.

"She allowed me to join her for the day, I asked where she spent most of her time… She couldn't tell me but instead showed me" La Volpe told them and Ezio hummed.

"Hence the clothing" Niccolò noted.

"Who is this 'Alessandro Liparota'?" Niccolò questioned, reading the name as Ezio gave him La Volpe's pass.

"La Lupa takes the name of Selena Liparota among the higher class, I know not if that's her true name but I took the part as her husband. We found vital information there such as guard shifts, when they change, names of captains and so on" La Volpe explained to them, closing his eyes.

"This pass allows you to view the grounds easily" Niccolò murmured, seeing such a pass before. La Volpe nodded.

"It seems that she is still helping us out" Ezio noted, wincing as he shifted himself into a more comfortable position.

"Did you find any more information to who she works for?" Ezio questioned and La Volpe shook his head.

"Nay I did not, she is sworn to secrecy and would not spill. She is to meet with the King this coming Monday, when I asked to what business she had with him she did not answer, merely reminded me to what the pass does" La Volpe told them both.

"She wants you to follow… It could be a trap" Niccolò said to himself. La Volpe kept still and silent but Ezio frowned.

"She has gone to a lot of hassle to help us" Ezio told the pair and they couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"She could have gotten into a lot of trouble trying to get me into the castle, she risked her own safety" La Volpe quietly told them, thinking back at how she calmly spoke to the guards. Ezio nodded.

"I think it would be wise to follow, it may be her silent plea for help" Ezio said, keeping his mind open and Niccolò hummed.

"I want you to keep finding out as much information as you can… I need to speak with Leonardo before setting off to destroy his first machine, a gun upon a cart" Ezio said, changing the subject and La Volpe stood, grabbing his clothes.

"Rest here tonight La Volpe, I need you back Friday night so we can discuss the details to Damon" Ezio requested and the thief smiled in acceptance before taking him and his clothes upstairs.

The next day had arrived and when leaving the hideout La Volpe noted to himself that it was a Thursday. He wondered where the mysterious woman would be, there was nothing on at the castle today and he doubted that she would be at the Thieves Guild. He mentally shrugged his shoulders; surely it wouldn't hurt to avoid searching for her today, he needed to visit the local thieves. With that he moved his slender body between the crowds, his eyes glistening at the thought of seeing his family, the thieves, again. He hid a smile as he noticed the first group lazily loafing around but on closer inspection he could see them paying very close attention to some guards.

"Hold on a second" one of the guards requested to three of his fellow men, making them halt. The single, slightly scrawny guard that had spoken waddled towards a cart filled with straw, a slight 'hum' gurgling in his throat.

"If I was to hide…" he loudly murmured to himself, pulling out his long sword, directing it at the straw in the cart.

"I would hide here" he told himself, now beginning to stab the straw. La Volpe couldn't help but smile in amusement as his group of thieves loudly laughed, pointing at the guard as he looked up. The guard scowled in embarrassment, shaking his fist threateningly in their direction before re-joining his guards, walking off. Now that the guards were going out of sight La Volpe approached his thieves, the four of them grinning when they noticed their master joining them.

"Did you see him!" laughed one of the thieves, throwing his head to look at the retreating guards with a lopsided grin. La Volpe nodded, his eyes sparkling with life.

"They're getting paranoid; they've started bothering the people, asking them questions… We try keeping them busy to protect them, hiding in carts and wells to jump out on them and scare them, probably why they're so paranoid, but security is getting tighter here, it's making our job harder" the leader of the group quietly told La Volpe and the Master of Thieves nodded.

"The guards are mostly near the Borgia Tower, protecting the letters day and night. We've had a nosy around and discovered that the letters are located in the cells" another thief continued, his scruffy hair falling into his dirty face.

"What a strange place to put them" La Volpe spoke his thoughts. The four thieves nodded in agreement to their master.

"We figure that it's the safest place they can put them – an unexpected place – so even if the Borgia Tower is destroyed the letters would be untouched and unknown to anyone besides the guards… They're getting smarter" the leader of the thieves told him.

"I believe you're right, this information is very useful… Tell me a little more about the security" La Volpe said and the thieves gave him all the information they could, saying which guards were sloppy and easy to pass and which guards were bright and smart. La Volpe mentally took down the information in his head, planning to inform Damon Friday night, and once the information was told La Volpe gave his farewell, turning and leaving his group of thieves.

Most of his day was spent like this, seeing his thieves and gathering information. The sun was beginning to fall in the distance and he sat himself on top of a nearby building, looking for the guard from earlier. His thieves had told him that letters were going around in secret, very important ones by looks of it, and they had tried several times to steal them but they were defeated each time, having no choice but to abandon the attempt…

It took no time at all to find the scrawny guard with his tightly fitted armour and his three surrounding guards who looked too obese for such a job. La Volpe could see the dragging day had dampened their moods as they stood by the wall, bored of patrolling the busy area. La Volpe would have been on his way in search of other guards but the constant fleeting looks the scrawny guard expressed made La Volpe sharply watch his every move. It was as if the guard could feel eyes burning into his back, making him nervously fiddle with the right side of his belt, a cream piece of folded parchment evident. La Volpe scanned the area for any other guards but, as he turned his Eagle Vision on he noticed something much unexpected, a gold figure moving among the people. He rapidly blinked his eyes, switching back to his normal vision to try and discover their features. The figure, a woman, quickly scanned her current location, glad that no other groups of guards were in sight. She stood, latching herself onto a moving group of people who wandered from stall to stall. Several times she moved from group to group before she found herself back in the shadows of the tall buildings. La Volpe couldn't help but slit his eyes in the attempt to see her. He noticed her inwardly groaned, looking down at the silver dress that clashed against the darkened walls, her form still visible to the sharp eye. Once again she latched onto a moving group, her strides short and uneven as she fitted in to the slow walking pace of the people.

La Volpe could see that she was eyeing up the guards with a calculating expression and his body stiffened – she was after the letter… Cautiously the female figure walked to the left side of the group, her hands aimlessly swinging at her sides as the group approached the right side of the guards to pass by. La Volpe couldn't help but admire her tactic as she calmly and stealthily pickpocketed the distracted guard that eyed up a 'wanted' poster. The woman kept attached to the group, her black cloak hiding her features as she continued walking. La Volpe carefully moved himself to another building, his mind forgetting the guards as he firmly watched the woman with a calculating gaze. La Volpe couldn't help but smirk as the woman froze, her body tensing as she quietly looked around – she could feel his gaze on her. La Volpe crouched down, his eyes lighting up at the thought of a chase. The woman set off in a walk again, it wasn't hurried but it was urgent, La Volpe knew that she could feel him watching her retreating form. The woman quickly darted down winding alleyways, slipping into a cart of leaves in an attempt to hide. La Volpe had no interest in investigating the cart so he silently sat perched on the building, studying the cart as the leaves barely moved. He was surprised to see her jump out of the cart several moments later wearing nothing more than a dark brown breastplate and brown trousers that were neatly tucked into her knee high boots. Her cloak was still in place but it was turned inside out, a dark brown colour instead of a black colour. La Volpe questioned himself for a moment, turning his Eagle Vision on but the woman was still gold, confirming that she was the one he followed. La Volpe had to be honest, he had not seen someone in gold for a very long time, he had only seen reds and blues indicating if they were good or bad. He had heard stray stories from the assassins about people turning gold, it was usually their targets, but instead of a shimmering gold that the assassins described them as this person was a dark, solid gold.


	7. Avoiding the Water

**CHAPTER SEVEN.**

Slowly but surely the woman attempted to mingle with the people again but the tensed up shoulders indicated that the woman knew that he wasn't fooled by her disguise. The woman ignored the feeling as she pulled her hood down lower, hiding her features from anyone and everyone. The woman grew brave as she glanced around the area in hope of catching a glimpse at who followed her. La Volpe noted that she was no fool as she scanned the area, looking up at the rooftops as her body paused. La Volpe remained still as the female detected him and he couldn't help but grin, pulling out his crossbow. He didn't work like the assassins and killed straight away, he enjoyed chasing his victims until they grew exhausted and, if they still refused to hand over the information, he would kill them. He didn't enjoy killing, no one did, but he enjoyed the thrill of a chase, a challenge. Sometimes he would let them think that they had gotten away, gotten to safety, and then he would pickpocket them without detection but he knew this woman was different, she could feel his eyes. He knew that this one was the type he'd have to chase down and demand for his prize, for the letter. La Volpe pulled out his crossbow, lifting it up in a threatening manner. He had no intention of shooting her but the woman didn't need any further encouragement from La Volpe, she had turned and fled.

La Volpe chased down his victim, his Eagle Vision on as he watched the gold figure dart from alley to alley, ensuring that she didn't run in a straight direction for too long. La Volpe, once again, admired the tactic and knew that she was trying to lose him but his strong gaze burned like a raging fire on her back, he knew that she could feel his eyes. La Volpe jumped from building to building, strapping his crossbow to his back again as he enjoyed the chase. He was glad to see the woman have a change of plan as she took to the rooftops up ahead of him.

"So she plans to outrun me" he murmured to himself, his grin never falling. He swapped back to his normal vision, knowing that the woman would keep in sight He never bothered pulling out his crossbow, he could see that the woman's strides were uneven and her jumps were ungraceful giving La Volpe the chance to catch her up if he wanted to. He knew that the female was injured but she continued on. Without warning she darted to the right, leaping onto a rooftop before shoving a startled guard onto his bum in her haste. La Volpe had seen a similar move before, a way of distraction, and in mid-flight La Volpe shot down the guard with his butcher knife before landing. He regained his knife as he landed, giving an amused grin in the woman's direction as he took chase again. It was now that La Volpe decided to up the game a bit, increasing his speed to catch up with her. The thief's eyes sparkled with life as the woman realised what he was doing and she loudly whistled, leaping from the building onto two wooden poles before landing onto the ground.

La Volpe stopped on the edge of the roof, swinging out his crossbow to take a shot but a loud neigh was heard with the loud beating of horse shoes crashing against the cobbled street. La Volpe was distracted as the sea of surrounding people pushed and shoved, getting out of the way of the coming black pony. The black pony was small and scruffy, much smaller than the usual horses around here, and that's when La Volpe realised that the distraction was intended. He looked in search for the woman, raising his crossbow, but she quickly fell to her knees, crawling between peoples' legs. The thief angrily sighed; he couldn't openly shoot in case of harming an innocent. The woman swung onto her scruffy pony, her body flat as she urged it forward. It was clear that the pony was young as the woman guided the inexperienced pony into small openings, weaving in and out of people before they found an empty alleyway to gallop through. Their speed and constant turning made it difficult for La Volpe to keep up but he did, even when he nearly fell from a two floored building – he was thankful that Niccolò or Ezio wasn't with him to witness it. With his trip he thought that he had lost his target but a loud snort of distress was heard near the docks. La Volpe quickly darted onto the last building before leaping off it, standing in the alleyway. Two boats floated in the river in front of the woman so she sharply turned her pony to flee back from where they came from but after three strides of gallop she pulled her pony to a halt, her pathway blocked.

La Volpe was still and silent, his breathing was regular and even, it was as if he had been standing there for hours. The black scruffy pony nervously shifted from side to side, understanding the situation they were in. The pony looked left to right, back to front for any sign of escape. La Volpe observed the woman once more, wondering what her strengths and weaknesses were. It was clear that a fight was to appear.

"What do you want?" she called out to La Volpe, her voice muffled. He couldn't detect who this woman was but the muffled voice sounded familiar.

"You know what I seek" La Volpe boldly told her, his voice flatter than usual as he made no move to draw his weapon. The woman dangerously snarled at him, her pony rearing to defend her mistress but at the movement the pony's mind was distracted, being still and quiet as he landed, eyeing up the boats. La Volpe took the pony's sudden change of behaviour into consideration, he knew animals were smart.

"Hand over the letter and you will come to no harm" La Volpe ordered in his strong voice, slowly swinging out his crossbow in a menacing way. His grin was slid off his face as a loud twinkle of a laugh was heard, a laugh so familiar. The whole body language of the woman changed; instead of it being stiff and defensive it was now relaxed and certain.

"Never" she shouted with a playful laugh, kicking her pony on. La Volpe couldn't help but let his eyes widen as the pony sharply spun, heading straight to the boats. The woman leant forward as the gelding powerfully jumped to the first boat and then bounced onto the next. La Volpe took chase, jumping straight onto the first boat. The pony snorted, obviously regretting his idea as he realised the final gap was much too big to be jumped by any horse, let alone a pony. La Volpe was about to laugh, knowing that she was truly stuck but before the pony had chance to refuse the final hurdle the woman urged him forward, giving him the confidence he needed to plunge into the freezing cold water. La Volpe gaped in amazement; he had never seen a horse do that before. He leapt onto the second boat, perching himself on it as he held his weapon up. Instead of the woman kicking on the pony as she reached the shore to gallop away she turned, patting the horse with praise. Before he had chance to pull the trigger on his crossbow it was snatched out of his hands, a loud clatter being heard behind him as his crossbow hit the floor. He glanced over, looking at the knife that had wedged itself into the side of the boat.

"You shouldn't have followed me Fox" the muffled voice called out to him over the river and La Volpe quickly flashed his eyes up. Slowly the woman removed her brown hood, the last rays from the falling sun revealing who it was.

"La Lupa!" La Volpe gasped in surprise and a twinkle of a laugh was heard, the laugh clear as she removed the cloth covering her mouth. He couldn't help but frown at how much time the pair had wasted although he did enjoy the 'heat' of the chase.

"Now now Fox, don't go in a strop, I didn't even know it was you. Thought you were some other thief" she teased in honesty, a bright smile on her face as her yellow eyes playfully shined. The thief shook his head, glad that he hadn't chased her into the water – he couldn't stand anymore comments from the assassins.

"Grab yourself a horse, I'll be waiting by the bridge" La Lupa called out to him and she turned her pony, grinning as she sent a wave towards the grumbling thief.


	8. Injured

_I'm sorry for such the long wait, I've been busy with college and I've honestly been a bit busy playing Skyrim again. I'm not sure when I'm going to update this seeing as I really don't have a lot of time at the moment but seeing as this chapter is short I'll upload Chapter Nine so it's some sort of lengthy. Thanks for sticking with me people :) x_

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**Chapter Eight.**

By the time La Volpe had joined La Lupa by the bridge a large, blue sheet covered her pony in an attempt to keep it warm from the chilling wind. The moon was shining in the distance giving light onto the path ahead. La Volpe kicked his chestnut mare into a bouncy trot to keep up alongside La Lupa who grinned underneath her hood that she had risen again.

"The letter isn't anything of interest" La Lupa told him as she passed the thief the letter. La Volpe opened it, hungrily reading the information with a disgusted expression; apparently they wanted any assassin kidnapped and tortured for information. La Volpe shook his head, closing the letter up as he handed it back to La Lupa. As she moved to take the letter from him she grunted, shoving her reins into her right hand as she held her left hand on her left calf.

"You're injured" he noted and La Lupa playfully rolled her eyes at him.

"I think I've gathered that" she sarcastically replied and the thief smiled.

"You should tend to it, it's bleeding badly. There is a thief guild not too far from here, we will reach it in no time if we push the horses" La Volpe told her, analysing her wound with his sharp eyes.

"There is no need, a place of mine is nearby. It is handy that it was you watching the guards and not someone else, there is something I wish to show you but let us not speak of it here…" La Lupa lowly spoke, her eyes flickering in different directions before they landed back onto La Volpe. At La Volpe's silence La Lupa kicked her pony into a canter so La Volpe did the same, his horse easily keeping up with the wincing woman.

"What happened to you anyway?" the thief asked her, his voice barely heard over the passing breeze. La Lupa laughed out loud but it wasn't a twinkle of a laugh that La Volpe was slowly beginning to love, it was a harsh, strained one.

"Got caught up with some guards while tracking the letter, foolish really… I would have thought the guards would be happy to see a woman running along nearby rooftops" she told him, her voice humorous yet the humour never reached her bright, yellow eyes.

"Was going to follow it all the way to the Borgia Tower, well, until I saw you that was. Had to get in there quick before you did, though I didn't know it was you… Thought it was some other thief trying to steal the information to sell on later" she explained, a smile playing on her lips.

"I suspect it is infected, the water did it no good" she continued in a light tone and it came to La Volpe that the woman wasn't fazed by this at all, as if she had been injured many times before. La Lupa pushed her pony forward into a steady canter so La Volpe kicked his mare, making her extend her trot into a comfortable, floating pace. The thief wanted to ask her what they were up to tonight and what she wanted to show him, he was always a curious man although he never interfered with peoples business unless necessary but she was some sort of mystery to him.

"Where did you come from?" he asked the woman and the woman side glanced at his complete change of subject.

"What?" she questioned. La Volpe repeated his question and her eyes grew guarded, as if a misty shield covered her bright yellow eyes turning them much duller and darker.

"I know not, my parents disowned me from the age of six" she truthfully said, her tone bitter.

"They wanted a son, not a daughter… I wasn't good enough for them" she explained, her eyebrows knotting together in question but it was clear to La Volpe that she had never met with her parents again to find the answers.

"I was taken in by a nice man, he brought me up well. He taught me how to defend myself but he was rarely home, I do miss him…" she continued on. La Volpe saw truth in all her words and his heart gripped in sympathy at the knowledge that she had no true parenting.

"I know that look, feel no sympathy for me Fox. He was always surrounded by his fellow friends and when he was away there were always a few left to spend time with me, they were like my brothers" she softly told him with a tight smile but her eyes were still guarded. La Volpe didn't question her defensive behaviour as he took note of their new location as they slowed their steeds into a brisk walk.

His mouth fell slightly slack at the common landscape.

"Arco De Tito" he lowly said as they passed through a large landmark and into a small, quiet town. They both dismounted their horses and La Volpe shooed his away while La Lupa kept hold of hers. Slowly they walked through the open street and La Volpe bit his lip to question La Lupa why she wasn't going straight to the doctor who chanted on the left side of the street. The thief kept to La Lupa's limping side as they walked, his posture was stiff as he noticed several Borgia guards strutting around with a swagger in their stride.

"Take no notice of those" she lowly told him, winking at him as they walked. La Volpe was confused by her lack of concern – they were both wanted people and they were plainly in sight but she didn't care… why? She stopped in her stride next to the Roman Forum tunnel entrance.

"We're going through that?" he asked her but she shook her head, eyeing up the building next to it.


	9. Trying to Remember the Past

**Chapter Nine.**

The building was at least two stories high with a small tower on the top. La Lupa patted her pony as she led him up the stairs, pushing open the two aged double doors.

"The building is so old and ancient that people fear coming in here. Don't worry though, this building is stronger than it looks" she told him as they entered. The moonlight behind them gave La Volpe little idea of what the inside truly looked like, darkness surrounded them and all he saw were light, brown wooden flooring before the two doors shut behind them. La Volpe went to speak, wondering what this place was, but light shuffling to the side heightened his senses making him tense. He quickly flashed on his eagle vision and a small, blue figure went to attack him but La Volpe was quick, grabbing his attacker's hand causing the figure to drop the weapon with a yelp.

"Fox release him, Carlo that is no way to treat a guest. Come, where is the light? You know my pony hates the dark!" La Lupa lightly said in humour and La Volpe released the small figure called Carlo, turning his eagle vision back off again as the figure ran away, light illuminating the place. It surprised La Volpe how beautiful the place was, long fur rugs were scattered by the lightened fire place and, as Carlo scattered around the room lighting lanterns, La Volpe discovered other open arches leading to other rooms and he noticed several large sofas. A small boy, no more than eight, approached the pair with uneasiness, picking up his small dagger before standing with slumped shoulders.

"I am sorry Mentor" the young boy spoke and La Lupa gently grasped onto his chin, lifting it up.

"No harm was done, lovely tactic though" La Lupa softly said and the young boy frowned at La Volpe before looking at his Mentor.

"You are injured" he stated and La Volpe noticed the boy pale slightly, as if he feared for her very life.

"Yes, worry not. Call Marco for me, tell him to bring his papers too!" La Lupa told him and Carlo frowned at La Volpe again before bowing, grasping the woman's horse before going through an archway. La Volpe couldn't help but shake the feeling off his shoulders, it was as if they never received visitors here.

"We keep some of our steeds inside to prevent them getting stolen, they are there for emergency only" La Lupa explained to the thief before gesturing him to sit down. The Master Thief took a seat on one of the sofas and La Lupa left the room, returning in a matter of minutes with a bundle of healing equipment.

"Injured again! Ha, you are getting old Mentor!" a loud, deep raspy voice laughed and a growl escaped La Lupa's lips.

"Not as old as you old man! Now come, we have no time for insults, we have a guest" La Lupa playfully said back to the man but her tone turned serious as the aged man looked at La Volpe. La Volpe saw that he was a man with pride and honour, his stance was strong and his presence was demanding but, even in his aged features, La Volpe noticed a spark of youth. La Volpe couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in thought as he looked up at the man, a large scar ran across his throat and his left cheek giving him the battle worn appearance but that wasn't why La Volpe was looking at him in question, he was looking at him in such a way because he had seen the man before. He couldn't put his finger on it though, the raspy voice was obviously a consequence of an old injury to the neck making it even harder for La Volpe to figure out who the man was.

"Ah" the man rasped with a forced, lopsided smile.

"This is the man keeping you busy, no?" he continued with a tease as he took a seat opposite La Volpe, pulling a bundle of rolled up parchment on the table. La Lupa placed her healing items on the table as well, settling down next to Marco as she hid a blush.

"Marco this is La Volpe, I'm sure you know of his reputation… La Volpe this is Marco, he runs the guild here" the yellow eyed woman explained and La Volpe nodded his head in greeting, still the name rung no bells.

"It is good to see you again Master Thief" Marco commented while taking a dagger from La Lupa, beginning to cut her pants away to get to her wound. The woman scowled to the man but didn't stop him, instead she gestured to the bundles of scrolls.

"They are maps of the Borgia Tower your assassin friend plans to steal the letters from. There is also a map of the Castello but it is uncomplete as I know the place off by heart. You may keep those, you and your friends may have need of them" La Lupa spoke, hissing as Marco washed her wound.

"On the maps are some of the guards positioning… Some may have changed but it is quite recent" La Lupa continued but she loudly hissed.

"Marco quit it" she snapped at the older man who lowly chuckled, prodding her wound once more. La Lupa playfully slapped him on the head, rolling her eyes at La Volpe.

"Thank you, I'm sure these will provide handy" La Volpe softly said, accepting the maps with a light smile. His mind was slightly distant, he was trying to figure out where Marco came from. He was so familiar, it was on the tip of his tongue yet his brain couldn't link it up.

"This was not what I wanted to show you though…" La Lupa quietly said, glancing around before looking La Volpe.

"I assume you know of the Apple?" she asked him, hissing as Marco accidently pulled the bandaging on her dressed wound too tight.

"La Lupa" he lowly grumbled, his form tensing and an aura of 'danger' forming around him. Instead of addressing Marco she placed a hand on his shoulder, her eyes firmly fixed on La Volpe who eyed the woman.

Was she trying to get information from him?

Did she know something about it?

La Lupa took his silence as a yes and she gently smiled his way, a look of understanding crossing her features.

"Know now La Volpe that I have no interest in gaining the Apple for myself, I have seen its power and the destruction it can cause in the wrong hands. I know that the assassino is hunting it down, I have gather some information about its whereabouts but the information is very basic… Unfortunately the Captains of the Borgia Towers are not trusted by those who have it" La Lupa told him, pushing a bundle of ripped open letters his way.

"You can keep them, we have no need for them any longer. You and your friends may find something in them that we have missed" she added, a playful smile appearing as Marco snorted.

"I very much doubt that seeing as the best person looked through the information" Marco boasted, standing himself up after finishing attending to La Lupa's leg. La Volpe noticed that the man seemed at ease again and, silently, he wondered how much control La Lupa had over her people here.

"Now now Marco, don't let that ego of yours get too big or I'll have to give you a rematch and put you in your place" La Lupa bit back, her smile large. La Volpe couldn't help but smile to himself at the playfulness between them, shaking his head in the process of their un-meaningful argument. Marco placed a hand on his heart, his face full of hurt.

"You wound me so Mentor! You know last time I wasn't quite myself" Marco told her.

"Oh and what of all the other occasions?" La Lupa quickly asked, as if expecting such a reply.

"I-uh-w-well…" Marco stuttered, rubbing the back of his grey flicked hair.

"I-I was going easy on you" he managed to say but he darted to the side as La Lupa threw a rolled up bandage at him. The battle man laughed as he bowed, leaving the two alone.

"You two are like children" La Volpe commented and La Lupa grinned, her pain forgotten.

"I've known him since a child, he is like a brother to me. Now, do you wish to stay for the night or do you have places to go?" La Lupa asked, her grin turning into a smile. La Volpe thought to himself for a moment, he was growing tired and he was in need of a good night sleep but he had things to do.

"I'm afraid I must return to my men…" La Volpe told her and she nodded in understanding, her smile still in place.

"Very well. You are welcome to return here whenever you wish" La Lupa told him and, with that they both said their farewells as La Volpe left.


End file.
